Netflix’s Stranger Things & Doritos:
“Live From the Upside Down”
Role
Led the award strategy and execution for this groundbreaking campaign, navigating a complex collaboration across two clients and two agencies. Oversaw the creation of case study videos, a microsite, and a presentation board to present the campaign in its best light.
Accolades
The campaign achieved phenomenal results, earning 50 honors across 17 prestigious award shows, including:
CLIO Entertainment Awards: Grand Clio and Silver
The Drum Awards for Marketing: Grand Prix, Brand of the Year, 2 Golds & 1 Silver
Webbys Awards: 5 Wins
Cannes Lions: 4 Shortlist Nods
Effies: 2 Wins
D&AD Awards: 1 Win
London International Awards (LIAs): 2 Wins
Shorty Awards: 5 Wins (3 Gold, 2 Silver)
Adweek Experiential Awards: Best Use of Partnership in an Experiential Activation
Innovation SABRE Awards (North America): 3 Wins
Gerety Awards: 2 Wins
Integrated Case Study
Campaign Overview
In celebration of Stranger Things season 4, Netflix and Doritos partnered with Observatory to launch “Live From the Upside Down,” an immersive virtual concert experience. The campaign, featuring legendary '80s artists Soft Cell, Corey Hart, The Go-Go's, and Charli XCX, captured the nostalgia and cultural impact of the show.
Through a mix of TikTok teasers, Instagram promotions, and a creative narrative around the fictional Doritos Music Fest '86, the campaign culminated in a highly engaging virtual concert. By integrating Doritos packaging into the experience, the campaign turned fan interaction into tangible sales results.
Brand Entertainment Case Study
Campaign Results
The collaboration between Stranger Things and Doritos set new standards for brand partnerships:
Driving Sales: +11% Doritos sales lift and +10% Doritos 3D sales lift.
Fan Engagement:
303.4M views across owned media
365K+ concert invite scans—18x the capacity of Madison Square Garden
7:01 average YouTube view duration, outperforming industry benchmarks
Press Coverage: 4.46 billion impressions and 582 earned placements.
Market Share Growth: Doritos captured a +1pt lift in market share, valued at $45M annually.
This partnership boosted Doritos’ market presence and reinforced Stranger Things as a cultural phenomenon. Season 4 became the biggest streaming premiere of all time, with 1.35 billion hours viewed in its first 28 days, and was recognized as Americans' Favorite TV Show and Most-Streamed Program of 2022.
Awards Expertise
By strategically positioning this campaign across awards circuits, we highlighted its innovative blend of experiential marketing, entertainment, and cultural relevance. This ensured it received widespread recognition, affirming the power of impactful storytelling and strategic execution.